All words ›Kung pao chicken
FoodHow to pronounce “Kung pao chicken”
宫保鸡丁gōng bǎo jī dīng
Literally: palace guardian diced chicken — named after a Qing official.
❌ What English speakers usually say
“kung POW” with a k
✅ What to say instead
gong-BAO — in pinyin it starts with g, unaspirated. The menu spelling is Wade-Giles again.
The shape of the word
Tap any syllable to hear it. The curve above each one is the tone you are aiming for.
Syllable by syllable
| Syllable | Tone | Practise it |
|---|---|---|
| 宫 gōng | First tone — high and flat | gong — open drill → |
| 保 bǎo | Third tone — low dip | bao — open drill → |
| 鸡 jī | First tone — high and flat | ji — open drill → |
| 丁 dīng | First tone — high and flat | ding — open drill → |
Questions people ask
How do you pronounce Kung pao chicken?
Kung pao chicken is 宫保鸡丁, gōng bǎo jī dīng — gong-BAO — in pinyin it starts with g, unaspirated. The menu spelling is Wade-Giles again.. Literally it means palace guardian diced chicken — named after a Qing official.
What is the most common mistake with Kung pao chicken?
“kung POW” with a k
More words people mispronounce
Can you actually say it?
Reading a respelling is not the same as producing the tones. The free 2-minute check listens to you and shows which syllables land wrong.